Vetiver bring the sunshine
For many people, they first became aware of Vetiver through Devandra Banhart, especially when the UK music press was lapping up everything from the weirdy beardy. In all honesty, his nasally vocals, poor production levels and bizarreness always turned this writer off immensely and so Vetiver were ignored. ‘Thing of The Past’ appears to be the sort of record that is strong enough to change even the hardest impressions and perhaps this writer was far too hasty in writing the band off.
Album opener ‘Houses’ is lovely and warm like the best 60s American tracks and listening to it with the sun shining through the windows is a treat. The first couple of tracks carry on in this dreamy easy going mood and it’s a song you can settle right into. Its early May Bank Holiday and when you’re getting set for a picnic in the park, this could easily slip onto your mp3 player and be played as you chill out to. It turns out that Vetiver is a type of grass and this readily ties in with the casual good feeling of the music and the summer vibes. The band claim to have been drinking gin and whiskey too and who can blame them, ‘Roll On Babe’ is a definite feel good track to be shared and enjoyed with friends and drink.
The good thing about this record is that it’s an updated version of all the old classics your parents may have played. Its never fully alt.country, it’s never completely folky but you can see how it has progressed from there. Even the female vocals that carry ‘Sleep A Million Years’ have that glacial beauty of Nico and all the other classy 60s chanteuses. This song also holds the great line “don’t let your lips say no when you feel yes” which is surely a warning to follow your heart and don’t be swayed by other opinions. It’s a tremendous song and the way the album builds you start to wonder is there going to be a bad track on it.
It also has the greatest whistling ever recorded since the theme tune to Disney’s Robin Hood cartoon. This appears to be a Disney film that is sometimes overlooked but its by far this writers favourite and a lot of it is down to the jaunty music. This feel is captured perfectly on ‘Hook & Ladder’ and the upbeat and breezy feel continues, with even the middle section sounding even more Disney-like. It is not clear how the band conjured up this sound but a comb and paper may not have been too far away.
The tone of this review may be leading you to believe that it is all hazy sunshine and good vibes but there is some bite as well. ‘Hurry on sundown’ is a rollocking track that swings at pace and with energy. It certainly wakes the listener up and jolts them to life and should provide some respite to those who aren’t fully into the love and peace vibe. ‘Blue Driver’ also brings the blues to the album, which may seem pretty obvious given the title but its not too much of a diversion as it has that Flying Burritos Brothers any style of music as long as its mixed with country style to it!
Bottom line, this is a brilliant album. Its fun, its melodious, its got singalong after singalong and it’ll put a smile on your face.